Courtney Dauwalter | 2023 Western States 100 Pre-Race Interview

Welcome back, or welcome to, the Single Track podcast. I'm your host, finn Melanson, and in this episode, we're talking with Courtney DeWalter, head of the 2023 Western States 100. Before we get started, though, this episode is brought to you by Hoka, morton Rabbit and Features Head to the show notes page of this episode for discount codes and new product releases from each of these four sponsors. With that, let's get started. All right, courtney DeWalter, it's a pleasure to have you here. live with us in Olympic Valley for the Single Track podcast.

Thank you, look at your setup. You guys are pro.

We're doing it, we're doing it, we did it, we did it.

Oh man, yeah, there's a lot of fun questions, but before we start I do just want to put Finn on blast, because the last time we got to talk about a race that you were running, finn picked you to not win, and I was just wondering how much you use that to fuel your training for Western States this year.

Not at all, i'm sorry. My fuel tank is only filled with positive things, so I did not use that to fuel me, and you can pick me to place anywhere you'd like, or not pick me at all this weekend, i won't be offended.

We have to only ask the tough questions around here. Do you play fantasy free trail?

I don't know, but I do play other fantasy sports. I just haven't dove into the free trail fantasy yet.

Awesome. Well, yeah, it's such a pleasure to have you here. Difficult for me to relive that massive mistake earlier in my media life, but we're all human.

It wasn't a massive mistake. You made very sound choices.

We all swing for the fences from time to time, but I learned my lesson never doing that again. Definitely not this week, but anyways, it's a pleasure to have you here. We love having you on the show. You bring great energy. I think the first question I have for you kind of shooting myself in the foot here, but you probably have this whole media gauntlet this week that you have to go through to prep for this race. How do you stay sane? How do you stay calm, collected? What's your routine to stay fresh before race day?

I mean it's always exciting to come to big races because there is so much build up the week leading into it, to get to that start line actually, And I love that more people get to find out about ultra running and get excited for these races as well. So it's a combination of like loving to do all of the things and trying to do all of them, but also definitely carving out plenty of space for some silence and some just like sitting in the bed eating jelly beans and cheez-its and yeah, like I don't know, going into 100 miles. I want my brain to be just as rested and tapered as my body feels, because I'm going to be relying on it a lot And that's for me charging. My brain is in silence.

What's your go-to on Netflix, like, do you decompress with TV shows or movies and like that.

Yeah, i just the other day was recommended to watch Jury Duty Oh we watched that Yeah. Okay, so that's on my list this year, as well as the movie Air.

Excellent, okay, excellent, ben Affleck, matt Damon, yeah.

So those are queued up. We'll see if I get to them today or later this week.

If you need high octane, the Tour de France series is good too.

Oh, yes, i saw that one. Yeah, there's so many good options right now. I think anything mindless, anything interesting, where you're not thinking about running at all, is perfect.

My go-to is it's called Selling Sunset. It's these real estate people in. Los Angeles. That's, that is my decompression for Western Friday night Selling Sunset, season six or seven.

I didn't take you for a Selling Sunset kind of person, but Jules is super into real estate.

Yeah, I mean, it is really interesting to see the houses and the prices and like yeah.

So I guess, yeah, diving a little bit deeper into the week leading up to the race. What is like? what is your typical race morning look like? Because we got a five AM start at Western States. You know, take us through that kind of pre race routine has got a handful of races under your belt at this point.

Yeah, i haven't made an exact plan and I'm definitely not a person who has to follow the same routine every single time, but typically race mornings I'll go for like a 30 mile run, i'm just kidding. Have some coffee, maybe an hour and a half before start time and a shower, and otherwise, uh, just get ready and get over here, keep it pretty mellow, super mellow.

Should we talk about all of our experiences at the 2018 Western States 100?

Oh yeah, that was yeah, Pretty much Yeah.

Another tough question.

Another tough question. So in 2018, all three of us raised Western States.

That's so cool Yeah.

So you smoked both of us. but the real tough question between Finn and I who was the first one across the finish line?

Oh man, because he wouldn't have chosen me, i'm going to choose Finn, wow.

Wow, i appreciate the faith.

And you know what You're correct. Finn beat me by about an hour.

One thing talking about 2018 for a second. You ended up winning the race Great day Second fastest time ever. Were you? living in golden at the time is still teaching?

I was living in golden, but I was retired So I was full time running. Okay, How did how?

did preparation for that race? How did your training philosophy, racing strategy maybe look different in that era compared to now.

I hope, pretty different. I think I've learned a ton in the past years just by racing more training, more getting injured, getting healthy from it. So for sure, in 2018, that was uh, i think it was uh, i think it was a lot of work, but it was uh my era where I did no body maintenance and, um, would just roll out of bed, throw on shoes and go. And now I'm the type of person who has a 40 minute activation routine like definitely coffee and definitely a few hours before I'll head out for a run, just getting my body going and uh, trying to keep it healthier and happier.

Wow, so fast forwarding to 2023, third time at States. uh, training strategy philosophy heading to this race 40 minutes of body maintenance a day.

Yeah, I kind of like tied into my strength stuff too, but it'll be every day before my run I'll do 40 minutes of like activation, strength core, all of those pieces every single day.

How about, uh, when it comes to like mileage for, uh, the nuts and bolts of your weekly training? what does that look like in a peak week here, like like May and April of this year, for example?

Um, yeah, i don't a lot of running. Huh, Yeah, i don't have the numbers, i'm not a big numbers person, but, um, i think I was getting in like quite a few really big weeks. I haven't raced since February, and so it was um intentional, so I could really focus on just training and never having to recover from a race or taper into a race, like holding it pretty high for a long time now, um, and so we'll see how that pays off. We live in Leadville, um, and it, you know, was a slow spring melt, so I haven't been getting up super high, but definitely getting on quite a bit of dirt. What was I just?

going to ask Oh uh, in terms of golden versus Leadville, has that changed? uh, like your overall training in preparation for Western states or were able to get to the top of the list? Uh, probably pretty similar, but also definitely different.

Uh, when I was in golden, that spring leading into the 2018 Western states was pretty warm. It gets hot down in the Denver area starting in April and May and I was, um for sure, heading out for those midday hot runs in Leadville. There just isn't that heat right now this time of year, so that's been different, but I would say probably, like the climbing and the mileage was similar. Yeah, so where'd you think it would be hotter, being that much closer to the sun?

Yeah, basically on the sun. It doesn't work that way. It turns out weird.

Are you going to?

have one of those iconic ice hats Again on Saturday, i have uh, i have an option of a ice hat and you know, ice bandana all the ice options, so we'll see what we end up using. What are the variables that you're the most intrigued by for this race when it comes to Western states like what? what brings out your curiosity in this race?

I think the course is really interesting, having it start in the high country and feel very mountainy, and then get into that canyon section, which is a whole new game, and then the run of all last 30. basically, i think the variation between the start and the finish is really exciting. The history of the race is, of course, exciting, and then to line up with so many fast people is a huge draw.

Yeah, is that? Eris what is the biggest like motivation for coming back to Western states again?

A couple of things are my definitely lighting the fire for me to be here. One is that I didn't finish in 2019 and I walked most of Cal Street and dropped at Greengate, so there's 20 beautiful miles left that I would like to get on again. And then the second is that we were able to line up this Western states hard rock double and that has me super excited to make sure I finish Western states so that the double can actually be a double.

Any time goals for the race.

No, no, i don't like racing with a time goal or like a place goal. I like to just. the goal is to finish and to be completely destroyed and leave everything out there.

This question is about competition. I'm just thinking about it in the moment here. Have there been any races in your past particularly these mountain ultra races like the UTMB's of the world western states where you felt pushed by your competition, or have you always felt like you've been sort of on an island?

I don't feel like I'm on an island.

We're in the mountains, but sort of on your own plane, like you're always like running your own race. You're really dominating. A lot of these races start to finish. Have there been any races in the past that have come into mind where you felt like the competition that they really got the best out of you pushed you to a certain limit and you were racing deep into the race? Because I think I'm wondering if that's going to happen, if there are certain athletes in the race on Saturday that are going to be there late in the race and bring that out in you.

I mean, i think always in a race, i'm pushing myself as hard as I can, so, whether there's someone nearby or not, my hope is that the speed and effort I'm putting in is the exact same. So I hope that whatever I run on Saturday is identical, whether I'm like on an island or in the midst of you know, a mosh pit of women, like all of it. I hope I just do the exact same thing and empty my tank.

Yeah, you can only control what you can control.

Yeah, 100 miles. Feel less about racing against other people and more about racing the course and yourself and your day, and and seeing you know how the chips fall and what you can do with what you're given.

Cool, yeah. Yeah, there's only so much thinking one can handle during 100 mile.

Yeah, i prefer no candles.

I think that's about it. We do have one tradition that we're going to be starting here on the single track podcast at western states, and I guess we could kick it off with.

Courtney de Walter. Yeah, can. Yeah, it's a tradition if we've never done it, but like we're planning on we hope that it becomes.

We hope that it catches on. I feel nervous to be the guinea pig of said tradition And I think it's timely not not to make a sponsor plug here, but you have a new flavor of tailwind that comes out this month, and so we decided to bring this watermelon in.

We would love for two things on this watermelon one, if you could give us your best, like 10 second cougar drawing and then and then to sign it. Okay, i'm gonna turn off the mic.

I'll hold it for you, oh my gosh oh, i love this. We're doing this live.

It's like Pictionary the mat.

Yeah, because we all know how to be Watch this transfer. What a smooth transfer, ready set. What All right. Countdown, countdown, okay, ready set go go 10 seconds. I love this game. Alright, time's up, time's up What? And then we need your say, oh, that is good, oh, my gosh Giving cat vibes right Which they are, Of which they are part of the family.

This is so good.

It's in the right category. Yeah, alright, we should do your autograph now too.

Cat.

I'm not signed. Amazing.

I think it's a good one. What are?

you doing with the watermelon afterwards? I'm just calling it out.

This is the official watermelon of the western states 100. Normally it's like an entire brand. This is just going to be the one official watermelon, so I think we're just going to try and carry it around the course with us Like the whole day of the wrap day. We're getting this thing to the track.

But then are you eating it. Like, sharing it.

Yeah, we'll eat it.

Maybe we'll cut it open during golden hour or something That would be fun.

Yeah, share some of the official western states, the watermelon of western states.

We'll see how it is after a week and a day outside.

I'm excited to see the other Cougar drawings Yeah, I think we're going to get some really good ones.

Yeah. Or maybe this is. You might have just set the bar. That was a really good first drop.

Good luck everybody, for any folks that are listening to this via podcast. Do yourself a favor Hop on YouTube to watch this live historic moment. We learned that Courtney Dolter is a pretty good artist.

They're definitely exaggerating It's mediocre at best, but there's nothing to compare it to. Yet, courtney, it is such an honor, such a pleasure to have you here.

Thank you so much for being here this year, making the race so exciting And, yeah, just your generosity. This is a busy weekend and you made time for us, so thank you so much.

Thank you guys.